---
title: Status and availability
---

import {Steps, TabItem, Tabs} from "@astrojs/starlight/components";

import FlattenedSteps from "../../components/FlattenedSteps.astro";
import NavigationSteps from "../../components/NavigationSteps.astro";
import ZulipTip from "../../components/ZulipTip.astro";
import ClearStatus from "../include/_ClearStatus.mdx";
import MobileMenu from "../include/_MobileMenu.mdx";
import PersonalMenu from "../include/_PersonalMenu.mdx";
import SelfUserCard from "../include/_SelfUserCard.mdx";
import SetStatus from "../include/_SetStatus.mdx";

import UserCircleActiveIcon from "~icons/zulip-icon/user-circle-active";
import UserCircleIdleIcon from "~icons/zulip-icon/user-circle-idle";
import UserCircleOfflineIcon from "~icons/zulip-icon/user-circle-offline";

Status and availability let everyone know roughly how quickly you'll be
responding to messages.

A **status** is a customizable emoji, along with a short message. A typical
status might be "📅 In a meeting" or "🏠 Working remotely". To make it easy to
notice, the status emoji is shown next to your name in the sidebars, message
feed, and compose box.

Your **availability** is a colored dot (like <UserCircleActiveIcon />) that indicates if you're currently active on Zulip, idle,
or offline. You can also [go invisible](#invisible-mode) to appear offline
to other users.

## Statuses

### Set a status

You can set a status emoji, status message, or both.

<Tabs>
  <TabItem label="Via user card">
    <FlattenedSteps>
      <SelfUserCard />

      <SetStatus />
    </FlattenedSteps>
  </TabItem>

  <TabItem label="Via personal settings">
    <FlattenedSteps>
      <PersonalMenu />

      <SetStatus />
    </FlattenedSteps>
  </TabItem>

  <TabItem label="Mobile">
    <FlattenedSteps>
      <MobileMenu />

      1. Tap **My profile**.
      1. Tap **Set status** or **Status**.
      1. Select one of the common statuses, or choose any emoji and/or write
         a short message.
      1. Tap **Save**.
    </FlattenedSteps>
  </TabItem>
</Tabs>

### Clear a status

<Tabs>
  <TabItem label="Via user card">
    <FlattenedSteps>
      <SelfUserCard />

      <ClearStatus />
    </FlattenedSteps>
  </TabItem>

  <TabItem label="Via personal settings">
    <FlattenedSteps>
      <PersonalMenu />

      <ClearStatus />
    </FlattenedSteps>
  </TabItem>

  <TabItem label="Mobile">
    <FlattenedSteps>
      <MobileMenu />

      1. Tap **My profile**.
      1. Tap **Status**.
      1. Tap **Clear**, and then **Save** in the top right corner of the app.
    </FlattenedSteps>
  </TabItem>
</Tabs>

### View a status

Status emoji are shown next to a user's name in the sidebars, message feed,
and compose box in the web and desktop apps, and next to the user's profile
picture and name in the mobile app.

Status emoji and status messages are also shown on [user cards](/help/user-cards)
in the web and desktop apps.

<Tabs>
  <TabItem label="Desktop/Web">
    <Steps>
      1. Hover over a user's name in the right sidebar, or in the **Direct messages**
         section in the left sidebar, to view their status message if they have one
         set.
    </Steps>

    <ZulipTip>
      You can also click on a user's profile picture or name on a message they
      sent to view their status in their **user card**, or configure status text
      to always be shown in the right sidebar.
    </ZulipTip>
  </TabItem>

  <TabItem label="Mobile">
    <Steps>
      1. Tap on a user's profile picture or name to view their status message.
      1. If they have one set, it will appear under their name on their profile.
    </Steps>
  </TabItem>
</Tabs>

### Configure how statuses are displayed

You can choose whether or not status text is displayed in the right sidebar.
With the compact option, only status emoji are shown.

<Tabs>
  <TabItem label="Desktop/Web">
    <FlattenedSteps>
      <NavigationSteps target="settings/preferences" />

      1. Under **Information**, select **Compact** or **Show status and text** for the
         user list style.
    </FlattenedSteps>

    <ZulipTip>
      You can always hover over a user's name in the right sidebar to view their
      status message if they have one set.
    </ZulipTip>
  </TabItem>
</Tabs>

## Availability

There are three availability states:

* **Active** (<UserCircleActiveIcon />): Zulip is open and in focus on web,
  desktop or mobile, or was in the last 140 seconds.
* **Idle** (<UserCircleIdleIcon />): Zulip is open on your computer (either
  desktop or web), but you are not active.
* **Offline** (<UserCircleOfflineIcon />): Zulip is not open on your computer,
  or you have turned on invisible mode.

### View availability

<Tabs>
  <TabItem label="Desktop/Web">
    <Steps>
      1. View a user's availability on the [user list](/help/user-list) in the right
         sidebar, the [direct messages](/help/direct-messages) list in the left
         sidebar, or their [user card](/help/user-cards). If there is no availability
         indicator, the user is offline.
    </Steps>

    <ZulipTip>
      You can see when someone offline was last active by hovering over their
      name in the left or right sidebar.
    </ZulipTip>
  </TabItem>

  <TabItem label="Mobile">
    <Steps>
      1. Tap on a user's profile picture or name. Their availability appears to the
         left of their name on their profile.
    </Steps>
  </TabItem>
</Tabs>

### Invisible mode

Zulip supports the privacy option of never updating the availability
information for your account. The result is that you will always
appear to other users as **Offline**, regardless of your activity in
Zulip.

With this setting, your "Last active" time displayed to other users in
the UI will be frozen as the approximate time you enabled this setting.
Your activity will still be included in your organization's [statistics](/help/analytics).

<ZulipTip>
  Consider also [not
  allowing](/help/read-receipts#configure-whether-zulip-lets-others-see-when-youve-read-messages)
  other users to see when you have read messages.
</ZulipTip>

### Toggle invisible mode

<Tabs>
  <TabItem label="Desktop/Web">
    <FlattenedSteps>
      <SelfUserCard />

      1. To enable, you'll select **Go invisible**.
      1. To disable, you'll select **Turn off invisible mode**.
    </FlattenedSteps>

    <ZulipTip>
      You can also toggle this setting in the **Account & privacy**
      tab of your **Personal settings** menu.
    </ZulipTip>
  </TabItem>

  <TabItem label="Mobile">
    <FlattenedSteps>
      <MobileMenu />

      1. Tap **My profile**.
      1. Toggle **Invisible mode**.
    </FlattenedSteps>
  </TabItem>
</Tabs>

## Related articles

* [Typing notifications](/help/typing-notifications)
* [Read receipts](/help/read-receipts)
